Math Problem Statement

When one coin is​ tossed, the probability of landing heads is one half 1 2. Assuming the coin is​ fair, what does that statement​ mean? Question content area bottom Part 1 Choose the correct answer below. A. If two coins are​ tossed, the outcome will be 1 head and 1 tail because there are only two sides to the coin. B. If two coins are​ tossed, the outcome will be 1 head and 1 tail because the probability of both heads and tails is one half 1 2. C. If 1000 coins are​ tossed, there is no way to predict the precise number of heads that will be​ generated, though it will probably be close to 500 because it is impossible to get exactly 500 heads. D. If 1000 coins are​ tossed, there is no way to predict the precise number of heads that will be​ generated, though it will probably be close to 500 because probability does not guarantee certain results. E. If 100 coins are​ tossed, the outcome will be 50 heads and 50 tails because the probability of both heads and tails is one half 1 2.

Solution

The correct answer is:

D. If 1000 coins are tossed, there is no way to predict the precise number of heads that will be generated, though it will probably be close to 500 because probability does not guarantee certain results.

Explanation:

  • The statement "the probability of landing heads is 1/2" refers to the fact that for a fair coin, each individual toss has an equal likelihood (1/2) of resulting in heads or tails.
  • However, probability describes the likelihood of events over many trials, and it does not guarantee an exact outcome. For example, in 1000 tosses, the number of heads is likely to be close to 500 but may not be exactly 500 due to random variation.
  • D reflects the inherent uncertainty in probability while acknowledging that the expected outcome over many trials would be close to half heads and half tails, though not exact.

Would you like to dive into the explanation further or clarify any parts?

Related questions:

  1. What is the law of large numbers and how does it relate to this problem?
  2. How do we calculate expected outcomes when tossing a coin multiple times?
  3. What is the difference between theoretical probability and experimental probability?
  4. How does increasing the number of tosses affect the reliability of the outcome being close to half heads and half tails?
  5. Can you calculate the variance in the number of heads if 1000 coins are tossed?

Tip: The larger the number of trials in a probability experiment, the closer the results will tend to be to the expected value, according to the law of large numbers.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Probability
Random Variables
Expected Value

Formulas

P(Heads) = 1/2
Expected value for n coin tosses = n * P(Heads)

Theorems

Law of Large Numbers

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 6-8